Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-11-10
ENDORSEMENT OF JOHN.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. GEO.
l. HAYS, D. D., L.. D.

Lesson VII of the International Series
Fourth Quarter) for Sunday, Nov. 13.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. xi, 2-15.
Golden Text, John v, 35.
Johns discouragement must have been ex-
treme as month after month he lay in prison
under HerOd's oppressive government What
strange meditationS he must have had in that
prison He could look back on no unfaith-
fulness that deserved the reproof of his re-
moval from public activity. In no case had
he sought to thrust himself into prominence
to the exclusion of Christ. 1t would not be
strange, then, if in his loneliness there should
be times when his faith would waver. He
might well say, Surely if Jesus is the Mes
siah whose forerunner / really was, and he
has the miraculous power of which hear SO
much, he will speedily come to my deliver
ance It seems to have been out of this spirit
of Encouragement under Christ's neglect
that John sent these messengers ". 2, b. 1t
would have been a solace to know that his
imprisonment was part of the programme,
and that, after all, all was right.
Christ's methods-Christ rarely gave di-
rect replies One difference between direct
reply and statement of evidence is this: 4
direct reply assumes responsibility on the
part of the person giving it; a statement of
evidence leaves the responsibility on the per-
son to whom the evidence is submitted. If
Christ had simply said yes John could
fairly have said, Then l have no further
responsibility in the matter" This was not
Christ's purpose with John any more than it
is with US. How many have wished that
God would, by an audible voice from heaven,
tell them Just what they ought to do? If he
did, however, that would relieve them of the
responsibility of determining their duty; and
this is Just what God lays on every one of us.
Christ shuts John up to act upon the evil
dence the facts afforded as to the Messiah
ship.
Various translations.-This fact is Curl
ously alluded to by the three different trans
lations which in various editions of the Eng
lish Bible have been given to the sentence,
''The poor have the Gospel preached to
Them A very early English Bible has it,
"Poor men have taken to preaching the Cos
pel;" another translation was, Poor men re-
ceive the Gospel" now we have it, 'The pOol
have the Gospel preached to them"
Christ'S estimate of John.-When Johns
messengers had departed, Jesus turned to the
keen criticism upon one phase of human ma
ture in Christ's question ". y, "What went
We out to seer Multitudes find what they
determine beforehand that they will find
They find a prophet when they go out to seek
a prophet, and reed shaken with the wind
when they go to look for it, and man
clothed in soft raiment when they have con-
demned him for that beforehand Christ's
question suggests re-examination of their
preconceived opinions and a re-examination
OF Johns claims to divine commission.
As to John, each step is a reproof Of some
popular prejudice and an Endorsement of
John. A reed shaken with the wind was
then and is still a metaphorical name for an
undecided and irresolute man. Those who
looked for such indecision in John were Won
drously mistaken, from King Herod down
through all the rest. So those who made
temporal ease and comfort proof of divine
favor were sadly mistaken in Johns case.
His raiment was camels hair, his girdle
leather and his food locuSts and wild honey.
His life was hard, but his mission was SUBJ
lime. So those who had thrown around the
Old Testament prophets their imaginary halo
Of unreality were much disappointed at
Johns directness and simplicity. The Saviour,
however, puts him before all the prophets
whom the Jews then so highly glorifed
Blood earnestness.-Earnest people nearly
always succeed, and usually deserve success.
The indifferent and slovenly never succeed
except when success is thrust upon them. In
all ages there have been large numbers who
admitted that the question of all questions
was the question of religion. The crowds
shat gathered around John Uuke iii, 1-1S
were of this class. 1t was not true of all of
them that their earneStness carried them
through repentance of sin into a religious
life. The earnest ones, however did thus
persevefe through all obstacles and really
enter into the kingdom of God. 1t is not in
reproof, therefore, that the Saviour says ".
19, ''The kingdom of heaven suffereth vio-
lence, and the violent take it by force" 1t
is precisely that holy violence that is needed
to enter into the kingdom and spread abroad
the kingdom.
Elias already here-Verse 13 calls atten-
ton to the difference between Johns utter
ances and the utterances of the Old Test
ment prophets. They all point to somethi
yet to come. John, however, pointed to that
which had already come and was now pres
ent.
Verse Il, like verse 10, is an explicit inter
pretation of Johns mission. 1t is also an i'm
plicit Interpretation of Christ's own mission.
If Join was Elias, then Jesus was the Mes
siah. The two offices are not separated in
and could not be separate in full
fllment.